You know you are in Scotland and that things are going to be different when any or all of the following are present: bagpipers, kilts, plaid, whisky and haggas. And, to the joy of those present on the World Cup mountain biking downhill and four-cross (4X) circuits, all of the above were in abundance.

Along with the World Cup debut of four-cross racing which replaces the dual, several surprises kept an energetic crowd of 7,000 entertained. First, a British woman named Tracy Moseley (Kona) stole the show by winning her first WC downhill at home after the master Anne-Caroline Chausson lost it.

Then the men's downhill saw many of the favorites crash out on a rough and muddy course, as well as a highly unusual tie for 2nd. It was fast and furious racing on the side of the UK's highest mountain, and a huge crowd showed up to see Scotland's first-ever World Cup.

Fort William was the site of this first round of racing, a charming town just down from Loch Ness, with its very own whisky distillery (Ben Nevis). Sponsored by visitscotland.com, the race meant to show that the UK does have mountains - and that they can put on as good a show as anyone on the downhill circuit. And, with excellent organization, enthusiastic fans and two very demanding courses, it seems as though Scotland did it.

The course itself was a feat of engineering, with a raised gravel surface over the peat bog that is the Ben Nevis range. Riders had it easier than spectators, who would often sink up to their knees in the muck, hence the invention of "Welly" boots. The track is 2.6km long, dropping 1,800 feet (525 meters) from the gondola to the base station. Wide open and windy up top, it then dropped into the trees where there was even more mud and roots (and bugs called Midges which ate some for lunch). All in all, a classic formula for success!

The weather was less than cooperative for much of the race however, dropping "liquid sunshine" on the mountain for much of the weekend save for Saturday's 4X and a wee part of the downhill Sunday. Otherwise it was cool and wet. But as Kirt Voreis (USA, Haro/Lee Dungarees) put it, "that's why it's so beautiful here, right?" And so on with the racing! But first, a spot of the whisky.

Kovarik Krushes the Kompetition
Just as it's hard to remember the last time Chausson didn't make the podium of a downhill race, it's even harder to recall the last time a rider posted a huge winning margin in the always-tight men's competition. And so when Chris Kovarik (AUS, Intense Cycles) schooled the field with a whopping 14.02 second win, it proved not only that the man is running on the very ragged edge of control, but that he is now undoubtedly one of the world's very best.

"It gives me a real confidence boost, and tells me that I belong in the top five," said the usually quiet Kovarik after his outstanding win. "I was nervous today. I had a good timed practice run yesterday, but in qualifying I took it too fast and crashed, and that balled me up for the rest of my run." But Kovarik still managed to qualify third fastest for the final, then stayed up on his bike to post a 4:33 in the final with an average speed of 35kph.

Nathan Rennie (AUS, Yeti/Pearl Izumi) was only tenth fastest in qualifying, but kept his bike upright in the final to post a time 14.02 seconds slower than Kovarik's. He called his run "as clean as it gets considering all the mud. But it was generally smooth and I didn't get any arm pump so I'm happy with the run."

After sixth-seeded Sean McCarroll (AUS, Global Racing Team) crashed in a compression dip just before the finish, in a near instant replay of the same crash by teammate and World Cup champion Greg Minnaar (RSA), fifth-seeded Cedric Gracia (FRA, Volvo-Cannondale) came flying into the finish. Even after crashing, he had posted the exact same time as Rennie so the two shared the hotseat as they awaited the final four.

"We'll sit here and wait for the winner," joked Gracia. When asked who they thought would unseat them, Rennie said "Kovarik."

And Kovarik crushed their times to overtake the hotseat, awaiting only the "Alien" Nicolas Vouilloz (FRA, Vouilloz Racing Team) and the top-seeded Steve Peat (GBR, Team GT). But Vouilloz was having his own trouble on course, flying off a log jump and into a ditch, losing precious time.

Finally the crowd awaited Steve Peat's arrival into the finish, figuring if anyone could master this muddy course, it would be Peaty and his special British racing green bike. But he also crashed out, mimicking Chausson and finishing an uncharacteristic 17th. When he did arrive, he was covered in mud, missing his saddle and literally wrapped in the plastic film that runs through his goggles to keep them free of mud. He was a wreck, but just shrugged it off.

"The first crash was the worst and it knocked off my brake lever. Then I crashed again because I couldn't grab my brakes," he said while leaning on his handlebars. And so it goes, a bit of luck, a lot of skill, some flat tires and crashes and you have a cliffhanger of a World Cup downhill race.

Next week the rock star traveling circus rolls into everyone's favorite European venue, Maribor, Slovenia, where sun would be a nice change from Scotland's wet greenery. We'll see you at the races!

— Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Correspondent